Dodgers Rumors: Kenley Jansen Holding Up Market with Good Reason

Kenley Jansen has baseball at his fingertips. He’s the best free agent on the board, and his availability has seemingly frozen the closer market while simultaneously holding three franchises hostage, but since Jansen just got married to his long time girlfriend, it’s understandable why.

Aroldis Chapman, Mark Melancon and Jansen are the big prizes of the closing market. Chapman is a Yankee, Melancon is a Giant and Jansen has yet to decide. Fellow free agent relief options will wait to see what he does, because post-decision, two teams will desperately need backend bullpen help.

MLB Trade Rumors assessed the state of closers Saturday morning. It listed Greg Holland, Neftali Feliz, Brad Ziegler, Santiago Casilla, Jonathan Papelbon and Sergio Romo as closers on the market. All of them are substantial dropoffs from Jansen. Holland, Feliz and Papelbon were previously elite-level finishers, but all are probably better suited for a setup role at this point.

MLBTR suggests the Dodgers scan the trade market, but the last week shows that’s heavily in the sellers’ favor. If L.A. is moving prospects, it would be a better investment to do so for an every day player, such as Brian Dozier.

Andrew Friedman was a bullpen connoisseur in Tampa Bay. There’s little reason to think he’ll invest a premium – prospects or monetary – in a player who appears in 65 games. If Jansen walks, the Dodgers are likely to pick up a cheaper option or two and roll with what they have.

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Gabe Burns is an award-winning journalist. He serves as a reporter and editor at the DodgersNation news desk. He additionally works as editor-in-chief of The Spectator, Valdosta State University's student paper. Gabe's work has been featured on a number of platforms, including Draft Breakdown and Pro Football Spot. His byline has been cited in media such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. Aside from covering Dodgers baseball, Gabe enjoys watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Orlando Magic and Tampa Bay Lightning. He can be followed on Twitter at @GabeBurns_DN.

21 Responses

Just a sample of how Jansen’s decision to stay or go might impact 2017 and beyond, meaning after 2018 Kershaw could very well choose to opt out and for good reason, as stated here:
Management’s well-stated desire of a sustainable financial model for acquiring and keeping personnel rarely sits well with veterans who have made their money and now just want to win.
That said, even if the 2017 payroll drops again, this isn’t a fire sale. Current ownership and management, rather, are trying to thread the needle — remaining competitive while reigning in payroll by transitioning to homegrown talent, value-oriented free agents and tactical trades.

pauldodgerfan1965 That’s all well and good, but Jensen IS homegrown talent. Correctly applying this logic would have meant signing ONLY Jensen and passing on Hill and Turner. Why “grow” your talent to only let them leave at the top of their game. Some of the Kids will be good, but what are the chances of a repeat of Seager? Some of these kids are at their peak value now. We have seen it so many times in the past – more often than not – Highly touted kids come up and we wait most of the year for them to “catch on” but they just get tickets back to minors. OK, not a fire sale, but the lineup starts looking like a cartoon tire with 20 patches on it, just before it explodes and the car crashes.

BrooksBerrett As I’ve said before, our penny-pinching G.M. acts like the money he spends is coming out of his own pocket. I’m sure he’s looking at injured broken-down relievers he can get cheaply. While he was in his office counting his sheckels, the other G.M. were signing the decent closers.

Brad Machado BrooksBerrett
I know and he has fallen out of favor by many fans, including me. You saw what other GMs were able to accomplish at this year’s Winter meetings while FAZ sat around and twiddled their thumbs!!!!!!!!

pauldodgerfan1965 Michael Norris Same here Paul. They raise ticket prices and parking then scream poverty. I know they are trying to avoid the luxury tax. But you cannot tell me that a conglomerate that paid 2.2 billion dollars to purchase this franchise is suffering money problems. I fully expect Kersh to walk after the 2018 season. They have pinched penny’s, loaded up on lame armed pitchers and we are supposed to be excited because they resigned Hill. Give me a friggin break. And he is going to be the #2 starter behind Kershaw. If they are that worried about payroll, blow the whole damn thing up and let the kids play. No GM in his right mind wants either Kazmir or McCarthy, and I expect nothing from either of them next year. If they do contribute, that will be a pleasant and unexpected surprise. Jansen is as good as gone. Turner might be back because his market is shrinking by the day. But right now they have few options.

Michael Norris pauldodgerfan1965
This FO is worried about the luxury tax now and it’s mainly as a result of an excess of $110 million spent since before the 2015 season on damaged goods with McCarthy, Ballet Bret and Kazmir ! unbelievable but FAZ showed very poor judgement and evaluations of pitching talent since then. And if we have to see Kike and other utility guys play 3B and 2B for extended periods because they couldn’t get anything else done, I will “lose’ it similar to how Scott Andes said he would on LA Dodger Report. I am also bit upset with Kasten saying how they want to be all in and compete for a WS shot with the players they brought in. Honestly, Michael these FO guys must think us fans of the team are naive or something!

Long Time Dodger Fan pauldodgerfan1965
We now have some chips with which to deal but not any of them named Bellinger. Jansen is homegrown talent and he is the best and only FA closer that will cost the team $$ but not prospects and we won’t be the team that has to surrender a 1st round draft pick. This deal should have been done by now but incompetency in this FO thou art a jewel!

ctw2450 pauldodgerfan1965
Since 1966 through 2004 I attended many many games before they were for the most part all put on TV. Tickets were sometimes pricey but not in the way they are today. I have sat in every section of DS at one time or another during those year, including next to Fred Clair’s press box on club level.

pauldodgerfan1965 ctw2450 Years ago I use to get tickets from my Knudsen milk rep. A bunch of us would drive up from Norcal to watch our Dodgers. Gas was reasonable, concessions were reasonable and it was a great time. The last time 5 of us bought tickets, we drove down and with tickets, gas, etc., it was over $350. That’s it for me, my games will be on T.V. because I’m not going down South ever again.

Brad Machado pauldodgerfan1965 ctw2450 I cannot blame ya man, and when I first started going to games my Dad, as a sales rep would get 4 box seats to take potential buyers to the game, but on some occasions they couldn’t make it so there was my ‘in’. then as I got my license along with a few other friends we would frequent games, but it’s a mute point today since I live in GP, Oregon. But if I was still in Calif. I wouldn’t be able to afford any games either.

pauldodgerfan1965 Brad Machado ctw2450 I live in Colorado now, so if I go see the Dodgers it is usually at Coors Field. I went to back to back games last May. The total cost to me for those 2 games, and it worked out to 5 tickets, because I paid my son and his wife and her oldest daughters way for the first game, and bought a box seat for the next day for just me, was a total of 134.00. 4 seats at 16.00 for the Saturday night game, Maeda pitched and won, and 70.00 for the box seat on Sunday. I also paid for a hotel room for 1 night, 59.00, and souvenir’s and food ran another 75.00. 275.00 in two days. Conversely when I came out to LA later in the summer instead of going to the Dodger game, my sis and I went out to Rancho Cucamonga to watch the Dodgers class A Quakes. Total cost of 4 box seats….52.00……..Right behind home plate. I remember going to Dodger Stadium and watching a game and it cost more to park, 2.50 than a seat in the pavilion …..2.00….

pauldodgerfan1965 Michael Norris Well I have gone to my last Dodger game at the stadium. It is way too expensive for me. I can go to Coors and even though it is over 100 miles away, it is cheaper than going to a game at Dodger Stadium. I have my mlb.tv on the internet,, and it is only 109.00 for the entire season. So I can watch on my new big screen in total comfort. No commercials either.